2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

This 500-plus-hp SUV can outrun your worries.

At some point during a two-day drive of the all-new Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, something interesting happened. Your author learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

Learned to stop worrying about the ML63’s carbon footprint. Worrying about its two-and-a-half-ton weight. Worrying, ultimately, about the sheer ludicrousness of turning the mild-mannered, safety-centric M-class SUV into something that should wear a court-ordered ankle bracelet. We can’t recall the exact moment, but all this consternation likely disappeared while the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 was swallowing 14.5 psi of boost and delivering 518 horsepower. AMG claims that the ML63 will achieve 60 mph in less than 4.8 seconds. Select the AMG Performance package, and the boost goes up to 18.9 psi, which yields 550 horsepower and a 4.5-second 0-to-60 sprint by our estimate. (Some context: In our hands, the previous ML63—equipped with AMG’s naturally aspirated 503-hp, 6.2-liter V-8—blitzed to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.) Top speed, with or without the essential Performance package, is governed at 155 mph.

One of our favorite parts of the original ML63 was its exhaust note. Part big-block Chevrolet Chevelle, part offshore powerboat, all perfectly inappropriate for high society. AMG has managed to preserve that sound in the latest version despite its engine’s slightly smaller displacement and two pesky turbochargers in the path of the exhaust gases. Deep and loud under full throttle, but with a slightly uneven and menacing sound at idle, the 5.5-liter is a perfect mimic of the old 6.2. Maybe that’s why it wears the same “ML63” badges on its fenders and rear door. Or maybe AMG just ordered too many of them and hasn’t run out yet.

Unlike the last ML63 AMG, the new version doesn’t slam shifts as though it is punishing its transmission. Gearchanges from the seven-speed automatic are smoother but still quick. AMG seems to have dialed more compliance into the suspension, too. Impacts are less jarring, and the chassis is quieter. But don’t think that the ML has gone flabby. New active anti-roll bars work to reduce list angles, eliminating the previous ML63’s clumsiness and trucklike feel. Cornering is now flatter, and the steering has a satisfying heft that serves as a reminder that the object you’re driving might have big-time grip but that it also weighs more than 5000 pounds. A BMW X5 M or X6 M feels more playful and lighter on its feet. The Benz feels more secure, more deliberate in its motions. Stopping power is provided by huge 15.4-inch rotors up front and 13.6-inch rotors in back. These brakes feel like they’ll stop the world before they’ll melt on you.

If you don’t dive all the way into the ML63’s power and torque, this AMG model feels almost exactly like every other new ML. That is, as long as the pavement is dry. Equipped with summer performance tires, the ML63 is one SUV that won’t be ready to tackle off-road trails or snowy roads. Solving that problem is as easy as changing tires, but you’ll also change the handling and character of the ML63.

From inside, there are clues beyond the burbling exhaust note that you’re in the factory-tuned version. A “designo” dress-up package is now standard, whereas that option typically costs $4000 on other Benzes. Louis Vuitton–grade leather covers nearly everything that isn’t a button, a screen, or wood. The ML63’s interior appointments are now competitive with those of the best of the segment, the Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. It’s a huge upgrade over last year’s model, which looked like it had a dashboard wrapped in regulation NFL footballs. The AMG guys have gone a bit crazy on the ML’s exterior styling, though. Most sheetmetal remains the same, but they have added a deeper front bumper with huge air intakes, fender flares, satin-chrome bits, gloss-black trim, four chrome exhaust tips, and 21-inch wheels. The effect is striking, if not entirely tasteful.

Yet taste is but one more worry you’ll quickly leave behind when you drive the ML63 AMG. A longer-lasting concern is price. When it goes on sale this spring, it will start at $95,865, an increase of $2400; figure about $7300 more for the Perform­ance package. Still, the power and sound of the twin-turbo V-8 will have you waving your cowboy hat while you whoop and holler your way through traffic.